13th Summer Universiade Kobe, Japan - August 24th to September 4th, 1985

Name: UNITAN

Artist: Osamu Tezuka

History: The mascot of the Kobe Universiade is a red-crested white crane which is symbolic of Japan. From olden times it has been considered to be a bird of good omen. The crane flying dynamically with large wings wide spread evokes the image of the Universiade, the sporting festival of students, full of youth, passion and health.

The name 'Unitan' was chosen from some 8,000 suggestions received from throughout the country. The name is derived from a combination of 'uni' from 'Universiade' and 'tan' from the Japanese name for red-crested crane, namely 'tancho-tsuru'.

Special Feature: For the first time a Universiade mascot appeared in more than one pose. Unitan appeared in sixteen different poses, including those depicting each of the ten competitive events and taking the athletes' pledge or carrying the sacred torch.